EDITORIAL: Brac bill key for North Alabama

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. _ It is imperative that state House members vote this week to pass the $175-million bond issue for schools in BRAC-affected areas, before the legislative session runs out.

This is a smart, essential piece of legislation that enables our community to decide whether it wants any portion of the available money to pivot on projects as the real impact of BRAC is felt.

The key here is our community gets to decide. Not Montgomery.

A lot of credit must go to Sen. Tom Butler, who has navigated political waters extremely well to get us to this point.

The BRAC committee must also be commended for its work in coming up with a unique plan to help North Alabama (full disclsure: Times publisher Bob Ludwig is a member of the committee).

North Alabama would have to see an increase of 7,000 jobs - easily expected as 2011 approaches - before any of the money would be made available.

Think about that: Money that is supposed to help with growth is only made available when that growth has been proven.

Those 7,000 jobs are estimated to generate nearly $37 million annually in tax revenue to the state. The bond payment by the state would be only $6.5 million, meaning the state still comes out ahead.

The Alabama Education Assocation has, appropriately, built into the bill a requirement that a school system show itself able to accomodate any increase in bricks and mortar with funds for additional staff in those new buildings.

To do that, the Madison County Commission or the Huntsville City Council would need to pass legislation to show it can raise that money (two options would be reappropriating funds already in the budget or raising new revenue, such as a sales tax increase).

Madison City Schools are already eligible following the city's approval of a sales tax increase for its new high school.

But let's be clear: No one is saying anyone has to pass such legislation. As BRAC jobs arrive, local municipalities are given the opportunity to decide what is best for them.This is not a taxation issue: It's a choice issue.

Members of the House should allow our communities to choose if they think additional money best allows them to manage growth because of BRAC.

It's not the legislature's job to interpret what the Madison County Commission, or the Huntsville City Council, for that matter, may do in the future. State lawmakers should be in favor of giving the govermental entities closest to the constituents - the county commission and city council - the opportunity to better their communities.

A year or two from now, if schools are overcrowding in a certain area and immediate improvement is needed, why wouldn't we allow the Madison County Commission or Huntsville City Council to make that decision for itself?

This bill allows time for public meetings, debate and planning for our communities - likely 18 months or so. Madison's school board and city council were a model of this process during its discussion about a half-cent sales tax it approved earlier this year.

Passing this bill allows for a process where local communities we can allocate resources in the smartest and most efficient way. Not passing it eliminates a critical option for our area to manage growth.

A tremendous opportunity to support this BRAC and future effort is in front of the House. Seize it.